How long hypoglycemia can last

All cases of hypoglycemia are related to low blood sugar, or glucose, in the body. Glucose is procured from the foods that you eat, not just sugary foods. You can get glucose from any source of carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables, and grains. Your brain also depends on glucose as its primary fuel source, which explains the weakness and irritability that often occur during sugar crashes.

In order to deliver glucose to the muscles and cells in your body, as well as maintain proper levels of glucose in the bloodstream, your body relies on a hormone called insulin.

This hormone is made by the pancreas. Insulin issues are the hallmarks of diabetes. You may also have insulin resistance. When you have hypoglycemia, you have too much insulin circulating in the blood. This is the threshold for hypoglycemia, according to the American Diabetes Association. In most cases, reactive hypoglycemia is diagnosed based on your symptoms. If severe or frequent hypoglycemia is suspected, your doctor may run blood tests.

One important test is a blood glucose reading. Your doctor will prick your finger and use a blood glucose meter to get a reading. Your doctor will check your blood sugar before and after consuming these beverages to determine any differences. Additional testing may be needed if your doctor suspects prediabetes, diabetes, or other conditions that might be raising your insulin production. If you start experiencing symptoms of a sugar crash, the short-term solution is to eat 15 grams of a carbohydrate.

The following can help:. Start by making long-term changes to your diet, such as the suggestions listed above. From there, you might find it helpful to keep a food diary to help you pinpoint any foods that could be affecting your blood sugar.

Dietary changes can help you manage and prevent sugar crashes. Human brain mainly depends upon glucose. Hence, hypoglycemia can lead to fluctuation of brain functions. Permanent damage to the brain is very rare.

Brain gets back to normal functioning after a little time less than 5 minutes of experiencing a hypoglycemic attack. Some studies have shown that recovery from acute cognitive decrement after severe hypoglycemia would be complete by 1. In the case of diabetic hypoglycemia, failure in treating in time may lead to diabetic coma.

While the main aim is to maintain normal blood sugar levels, the precise treatment of hypoglycemia depends on the type and the severity of the condition. Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia Treatment: Hypoglycemia in non-diabetic patients is treated in the following ways:. As emergency management, the patients are asked to carry foods containing glucose like crystalline sugar, fruits, juices, milk, bread, cereals particularly rice, etc.

If they experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, they can consume these foods to maintain blood sugar levels. Treatment for Diabetic Hypoglycemia: Treatment involves two stages. One is the immediate care and the other one is a long term treatment. Immediate Care for Diabetic Hypoglycemia: The main intention of this treatment is to normalize the blood sugar level at the earliest, depending on the severity of the condition. Eating sugar candy, sugar crystals as such, fruits, drinking fruit juice are some of the ways.

IV is given for those who are not in a position to have the food by mouth. They are taken to the hospital immediately for medical support. Long-term Treatment for Diabetic Hypoglycemia: The doctors find out the root cause for hypoglycemia. In case if they feel it is connected with diabetes, the dosage of medicines given for diabetes would be altered. In some cases, advice by physicians and dieticians is enough. They chart out a new diet plan to manage the condition.

The patients are advised to consult the experts if hypoglycemia is not related to diabetes but possibly due to some other illness like a tumor. In both the types, the complications that occur due to negligence are serious. Hypoglycemia if ignored or left untreated may lead to seizures, unconsciousness ultimately death. Preventive Measures for Non-diabetic Patients: Some measures can be taken to prevent hypoglycemia in non-diabetic patients.

They include. Preventive Measures for Diabetic Patients: In diabetics, hypoglycemia can be easily prevented since the reason is known. Keeping sweet foods handy and having them appropriately can help. When this happens, the risk of severe, life-threatening hypoglycemia increases. If you have diabetes, recurring episodes of hypoglycemia and hypoglycemia unawareness, your doctor might modify your treatment, raise your blood sugar level goals and recommend blood glucose awareness training.

If you have diabetes, episodes of low blood sugar are uncomfortable and can be frightening. Fear of hypoglycemia can cause you to take less insulin to ensure that your blood sugar level doesn't go too low. This can lead to uncontrolled diabetes. Talk to your doctor about your fear, and don't change your diabetes medication dose without your doctor's okay.

A continuous glucose monitor CGM is a device that measures your blood sugar every few minutes using a sensor inserted under the skin. Follow the diabetes management plan you and your doctor have developed. If you're taking new medications, changing your eating or medication schedules, or adding new exercise, talk to your doctor about how these changes might affect your diabetes management and your risk of low blood sugar.

A continuous glucose monitor CGM is an option for some people, particularly those with hypoglycemia unawareness. A CGM has a tiny wire that's inserted under the skin that can send blood glucose readings to a receiver. If blood sugar levels are dropping too low, some models of CGM will alert you with an alarm. Some insulin pumps are now integrated with CGM s and can shut off insulin delivery when blood sugar levels are dropping too quickly to help prevent hypoglycemia.

Be sure to always have a fast-acting carbohydrate with you, such as juice or glucose tablets so that you can treat a falling blood sugar level before it dips dangerously low. For recurring episodes of hypoglycemia, eating frequent small meals throughout the day is a stopgap measure to help prevent your blood sugar levels from getting too low.

However, this approach isn't advised as a long-term strategy. Work with your doctor to identify and treat the cause of hypoglycemia. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood sugar glucose level is lower than normal. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Continuous glucose monitor Open pop-up dialog box Close.

Continuous glucose monitor A continuous glucose monitor CGM is a device that measures your blood sugar every few minutes using a sensor inserted under the skin.